I thought this would be interesting- what are everybody's pet peeves in regards to scooting?
Mine are:
When a cager is pulling out from a side street, sees you, and starts to pull out just a little as you go by, instead of waiting until you are completely passed. I know they are just preparing to pull out after you pass, and don't mean any harm (mostly), but I guess they don't know how disconcerting that is to passing scoots.
The other is when I wave at another scooter, and they don't wave back. I mean when they see you and don't wave back. I know that new riders are afraid to let go of the grips, but a head nod would be nice.
The last is when they see all my protective gear and say"but it's just a scooter" 40-50mph + asphalt + laws of physics... here's your sign
" You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought " - Leia
charltons wrote:<deleted for space>When a cager is pulling out from a side street, sees you, and starts to pull out just a little as you go by, <deleted>
The other is when I wave at another scooter, and they don't wave back. <deleted>
All of the above, plus not having a reserve valve for the gas. Giving how inaccurate the gas gauges are, they should just add them so at least we know we would have some miles after you hit reserve. I am always filling up at about 1.3g when the tank is about 1.9g.
Agreed Eazy. I have to fight really hard sometimes to not pass them again to soothe my own ego. It's craziest when I'm in the left lane going with the flow of traffic (faster than I probably should be), and they have to do it.
The fact that downtown Ann Arbor has between 4,000 and 5,000 public parking spaces for cars (which is of course an emergency situation calling for immediate building of another parking structure), and between 12 and 18 spaces for motorized two-wheelers.
ericalm wrote:That reminds me to go outside and fix our Buddy seat! Just listening to my wife slam her seat drives me nuts.
*trying not to look too desparate* Do you have some directions on how to do that seat fix?
There are directions for one problem in the tech library. I'm taking my camera out with me, so I can poke around and see. I may take pics if I come up with a solution.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
ericalm wrote:That reminds me to go outside and fix our Buddy seat! Just listening to my wife slam her seat drives me nuts.
*trying not to look too desparate* Do you have some directions on how to do that seat fix?
There are directions for one problem in the tech library. I'm taking my camera out with me, so I can poke around and see. I may take pics if I come up with a solution.
This seems to work, though you may need to play around a bit to get it set just right: topic1814.html
I have another idea on how to fix this which may be a "better" fix. I just need some washers from the hardware store.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
Eazy wrote:Personally, I hate how no matter how fast you're going, the "cager" behind you always has to pass you.
It's like an ego thing.
Had that happen the other day. I actually passed him first- not even going that fast, and it was like he said" wait a minute, thats a scooter!" and then he passed me. Hey, it's his gas.
" You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought " - Leia
I absolutely hate it when you are driving on a side street with parked cars on the other side and cars coming toward you will swerve in front of you to miss the parked cars and pretty much play "chicken"... there's only so much room on the road until you find a curb!
Orange Guy wrote:Something else that bugs me is occasionally having to repeatedly slam the seat down to get it to latch.
That reminds me to go outside and fix our Buddy seat! Just listening to my wife slam her seat drives me nuts.
My dealer told me the trick is to press down in the center of the seat about 4 inches from the back. This puts the weight directly over the latch and it works every time.
Orange Guy wrote:Something else that bugs me is occasionally having to repeatedly slam the seat down to get it to latch.
That reminds me to go outside and fix our Buddy seat! Just listening to my wife slam her seat drives me nuts.
My dealer told me the trick is to press down in the center of the seat about 4 inches from the back. This puts the weight directly over the latch and it works every time.
Some seats (such as ours) are a bit more difficult for some reason. You could try it every which way (and I did try pressing directly above the latch) and no go. Adjusting the cable seems to have fixed it.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
Quo Vadimus wrote:The fact that downtown Ann Arbor has between 4,000 and 5,000 public parking spaces for cars (which is of course an emergency situation calling for immediate building of another parking structure), and between 12 and 18 spaces for motorized two-wheelers.
Make a real statement and park on the diag :p
Go blue!
"I'm not going there to die. I'm going to find out if I'm really alive."
-Spike Spiegel
Eazy wrote:Oh, and number one pet peeve of all time is when my scooter gets called a moped.
It pisses me off sooooo bad.
I hate that too. In fact a co-worker told another today that I ride a "moped". So at lunchtime I spray-painted the word "MOPED" in large red letters on her car hood. time. And I let the air out of all of her tires. That'll show her...
Maude Lebowski: What do you do for recreation?
The Dude: Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.
My solution for those cagers that feel the need to pull out in front of me is to lean on the air horn while riding up on them. Then at the next stop wave to their kids looking out the back window at me.
lojical1 wrote:Make a real statement and park on the diag :p
Go blue!
I knew there were at least two folks on here who would understand! (I did, however, dutifully exclude Blue parking from my count... too hard to understand all their fancy rules)
In Seattle we have these weird pay to park machines that you put money in and you get a sticky piece of paper to put inside your passenger window... and on a scooter or mc they want you to put it on your head light. So the next jacka$$ that comes along can take it and put it in his or her window. I just dont bother, I dont think the cops care, I havent had a ticket yet.
My pet peeve is drivers in a parking lot who are talking on cell phones instead of paying attention to their driving. I have had my share of drivers who turn or pull out in front of me when I have the right of way and every single time that person has been on their cell phone talking. I have been looking right at the driver when this happens and I don’t think that they are intentionally turning/pulling out in front of me, I believe that they are just so distracted by their phone call that they do not see me on my scooter. Every time I drive through a parking lot I repeat this mantra: “You are invisible, no one can see you.”
Wayne
The safest rule, no ifs or buts
Just drive like everyone else is nuts! (Burma Shave)
MikieTaps wrote:In Seattle we have these weird pay to park machines that you put money in and you get a sticky piece of paper to put inside your passenger window... and on a scooter or mc they want you to put it on your head light. So the next jacka$$ that comes along can take it and put it in his or her window. I just dont bother, I dont think the cops care, I havent had a ticket yet.
I met with the mayor a few weeks ago about this exact problem. They brought in pay-to-park downtown (I know, crazy, it used to be FREE to park in Down City Providence!), and since then, I often don't drive my scoot to certain things (there's one bar that let's me park on the sidewalk because the owner owns a Buddy 125, but I only do that if I'm going to the bar). I told the mayor I don't mind paying, but there's no where safe to put the ticket where it won't get nicked and I'll wind up with a parking violation. A pause...he looked at me and said, you know, what if there were designated two-wheeled parking downtown? Could I have asked for a better a response?! Turns out, he has a Harley. I'm going to continue to push this with his office and my City Councilwoman and we'll see what happens.
My pet peeve: people who freak out at 4-way stops and sit there when they have the right of way because I pull up on a scooter. Waaah, what should I do, what should I do? It's like they forget how to drive. Just go already.
My biggest pet peeve is that when I'm out scootin' around, not one woman ever comes up to me and rips off her clothes for an impromptu lap dance.
That and being stuck behind cars doing below the limit when I come up to the "fun" sections of my commute where I get to play GP racer and try to take the race lines through the turns, or if I'm stuck behind someone on the big hills
wheelies wrote:My biggest pet peeve is that when I'm out scootin' around, not one woman ever comes up to me and rips off her clothes for an impromptu lap dance.
MikieTaps wrote:My pet peeve: people who freak out at 4-way stops and sit there when they have the right of way because I pull up on a scooter. Waaah, what should I do, what should I do? It's like they forget how to drive. Just go already.
They're unconsiously trying to make up for the next time they cut off some poor, unsuspecting two wheeler. Kinda like paying it forward, you know <g>. When in doubt I usually give to other guy a big, stage wave - "Why please, after you ma'am!". If I could bow, I would. they almost always get the hint and go.
MikieTaps wrote:
My pet peeve: people who freak out at 4-way stops and sit there when they have the right of way because I pull up on a scooter. Waaah, what should I do, what should I do? It's like they forget how to drive. Just go already.
I have decided that these people are just stupid, have no idea what the rules of the road are, and wave you on because they don't know what the hell to do! When they have the right of way, it is really fun to shake your head "No" when they wave you on. I REFUSE to turn in front of them. Some of them actually snarl as they finally drive by. I used to think they were doing it out of courtesy or friendliness or some other politically correct warm and fuzzy reason but now I know they're just stupid.
Try it. Refuse to go and see what happens. Its fun.
MikieTaps wrote:In Seattle we have these weird pay to park machines that you put money in and you get a sticky piece of paper to put inside your passenger window... and on a scooter or mc they want you to put it on your head light. So the next jacka$$ that comes along can take it and put it in his or her window. I just dont bother, I dont think the cops care, I havent had a ticket yet.
YES! In Houston, it prints a receipt that you're supposed to put on your dashboard. They're not even STICKY! Where the heck am I supposed to put the receipt??
Never thought of that. I was told that HYPOTHETICALLY I could get the Dual Lock tape (like super velcro, but never wears out) and use that to secure my plate. THEN when I park I can pull up on the sidewalk or wherever and stuff my license plate in my pocket and wander off carefree.
Oh, but what I don't like - and I've only been scooting about four hours...went for my first ride on my brand new Tangerine Buddy 125 today - is tailgators and bad weather.
Around here it's been misty and cold and raw all day. But my scoot was delivered yesterday in the pouring rain and I just had to get out. SO I rode 30 miles on it today and I'm still grinning.
And I don't like things that scare me, but that's another issue. See middle link below.
